One day, maybe in 10 years' time, business is going to be different in Africa. Daara J met at high school in Senegal in 1997. We started out rapping over imported hip hop cassettes and then we bought a drum machine and started imitating with our voices the other instruments. We became known in Europe when we signed to Wrasse in the UK. But I would like to see an African company signing up English or American bands to sell to the world - we come to you and sign up Arctic Monkeys.

We're fed up being seen as victims. The Senegalese are good businessmen: we have people like Youssou N'Dour who owns a nightclub and a radio station. I'd like someone like him to start a big label. There are problems in the music industry everywhere with piracy but we receive very little protection - so one of our new numbers says that piracy is just the same as stealing from your brother. But maybe the industry is going back everywhere to how it was 100 years ago - you make money by performing, and that's all.

The problem with too many rappers in Africa is they don't look to their roots; they rap about guns, gangsters and the American dream while lacking running water. We have to talk on behalf of those who don't have a voice. Sometimes it can be dangerous - one of our friends got beaten up when he started rapping about government corruption. But you can't live without freedom, and we're not going to stop.